A Little Hope
by GhostiesandGhoulies
Summary: Terrible Terrors were the village annoyance and many of the other dragons didn't enjoy their company. Toothless seemed to be the worst with tolerating them. Then something happens which sparks a change in the household. Hiccup realizes he only needed a little Hope in order for Toothless to learn acceptance. Rated for injury/wounds. First attempt at HTTYD.


**Hello again dear readers, got this idea upon my days in school here in Italy. It's only 5 hours but it feels so long and more often than not I get kind of bored and the plot bunnies begin breeding. Oh lordy. Hope you enjoy this little story about one of my favorite duos!**

**How to Train Your Dragon belongs to Cressida Cowell but the movie was made by DreamWorks.**

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Of all the winged residents of Berk, the most common seemed to be that of the Terrible Terrors. They were commonly viewed as the village annoyances and always looking and somehow getting into trouble. Though the little dragons also had a very clever and playful side to them which was why many of the village children enjoyed having them around. Their playful antics usually led to anxiety and annoyance from the other dragons which meant trouble for their riders.

No one knew about the annoyance other dragons had towards the little Terrible Terrors better than Hiccup. Being as his dragon seemed to just detest the little creatures he definitely saw the dislike first hand. Toothless had always showed that he didn't care for the little dragons but he had never gone much farther than igniting the gas they built up in their throats in preparation to blow fire. In the recent weeks though, Hiccup had noticed that his intolerance seemed to be worsening.

Instead of merely nudging the Terrors away Toothless had begun hissing at them and even chasing them a few steps to scare them off. Plus he had been getting extremely territorial. If there appeared a Terrible Terror anywhere around the house Toothless would scare it off.

One time he had found Toothless growling at and chasing the two Terrible Terrors that Gobber kept around the forge for company. He immediately went about trying to stop his dragon only to fail miserably given how small he was and how much larger the dark dragon was. It had ended up with two positively terrified Terrors, a moody Toothless and an angry Gobber. None of it pleasant. From that moment on Gobber made the rule that Toothless could not be in the forge while his two dragons were. Or in other words Toothless was no longer allowed in the forge while Gobber was present with his dragons.

Of all the dragons on Berk it seemed that Toothless was the only one who couldn't tolerate the Terrible Terrors at all. He was beginning to think it wouldn't ever change but then he always reasoned that he needed to have a little hope.

Though it was needless to say when Stoick came in one day while it was pouring rain with a Terrible Terror in his arms it only caused more discomfort for Toothless and therefore by extension Hiccup as well.

Hiccup patted Toothless' snout in a calming manner and eyed his father wearily, "Dad why do you have a Terror with you? You know how much Toothless hates them..." He had made sure to inform his father as such when the problems had worsened.

Stoick turned around and looked down at the small dragon in his arms with hints of concern on his face, "It's wounded. I found it getting attacked by a group of other Terrors and I couldn't just let it die..."

With a small sigh and another pat to his own dragon, Hiccup approached quietly and gently scooped up the little Terror into his arms. He realized in that moment just how small the Terrible Terror was. A sharp spike of sadness went through him. There were literally hundreds of scrapes, scratches and punctures on its hide, its horns were dulled and some bitten off completely. With the size of it he knew immediately why the other Terrors had singled it out. "Figures," he muttered, "they always pick on the runts of the group."

His father felt speechless at the small statement. His thoughts fell back to before the dragons had become their allies and just how badly Hiccup had been treated and he had done nothing about it. He hadn't even tired for his son. After all of the months since then he still felt an intense guilt at how much he had neglected his own flesh and blood. Pushing the dark thoughts aside he decided to speak, "Do you think you can help it?"

"Her," Hiccup corrected quietly, "and yes, who do you think taught the healer about dragon anatomy and such? I helped Toothless whenever he got injured and he can be a pain to deal with. With her unconscious it'll be easy."

"How are you so sure it's a girl," Stoick asked curiously.

The teen looked up at his father with a small and quirky smile, "Dad, dragon expert... remember?" He glanced back at the little Terror in his arms and laid it down on an old pillow, "With Terrors the dead giveaway is the shape of the eyes and horns. To someone who doesn't know them as well as I do it isn't easily spotted but since I know them so well it comes naturally to me now." He continued looking over the dragon and frowned, before he could do anything he needed to clean the grime and blood from her scales. "Dad can you start warming some water and get me a cloth please," he asked over his shoulder.

Stoick hesitated only a moment before going off to fetch the said objects.

Hiccup tried to take count of her injuries and figure out what needed what kind of help. Anger flared within him when he looked over her wings. They were shredded, there was hardly anything left to save, only the bone was completely intact. "Blasted Terrors," he spat.

"What is it son," the chief asked while placing the bowl of water and cloth nearby.

He looked up at his father miserably, "The Terrors knew what they were doing... They... they took out her wings dad... I don't think I can save them... They're just so torn up I don't think they'd ever heal correctly. They grounded her..."

Silence took the room after Hiccup finished, the air heavy with what had been revealed.

Stoick placed a hand on his son's shoulder, "Well then we do what we can for her and give her a life where she will be as comfortable as possible. Do you think we should just remove her wings? Would that make it easier for her life later on?"

The prospect of doing such a thing seemed cruel. What was a dragon if it couldn't fly? But if it was in constant pain because of the wings later in its life then the only clear and simple answer would be to just have them removed. Adapting would no doubt be difficult but it very well could be the better solution for the little dragon.

Hiccup thought hard for a few moments and then gave a small nod, "Yes.. it would.. As much as I hate to do it I think it really would be better for her..."

The vast man considered the teen before him carefully before giving his own nod, "I'll go tell Gobber to get ready to do as such. We can do it after you clean her up a bit." He patted his son's shoulder once more before headed out the door.

Turning back to the small dragon, Hiccup wrung out the cloth in the water and gently began cleaning the scales of the grime that had accumulated. Once clean it was evident that she had a very light color which was rare for any dragon really. Upon closer inspection he identified it as lavender. Going back through all the dragons he had ever seen he couldn't say he had seen such a color that was so pure and light in shade. He continued cleaning, after he found some wraps to cover her open wounds. They would no doubt scar and leave her once perfect hide marred, forever a reminder her misfortune that came with being a runt.

He felt terrible for what they would have to do. The knowledge of having impaired Toothless' flight still filled him with guilt which was why he did everything he could to bring back the natural ability to his friend. He didn't think he could ever make something that took the place of wings. He had made Toothless a tailfin but making two new wings would take years of work and unfortunately even then he didn't think it would ever work correctly. The wings of a dragon were very complicated and often times relied upon muscle contractions and twinges to adjust to changing air conditions.

A movement nearby snapped him from his thoughts. He turned and couldn't stop a small smile from sliding onto his face.

Toothless was approaching very cautiously and slowly, eyes narrow and back rigid. He sniffed and gave a small hiss, backing away some.

Hiccup's smile faded some but he felt proud of his dragon for trying. It was a step, a small one but a step all the same.

Stoick came back then, "Ready?"

A nod.

The whole deal took the span of about a half hour, Gobber made sure he was gentle and got down as far as possible on the wing so that there wouldn't be a large nub once it healed. His face was sad for the duration of the operation, apologies slipping out of his mouth when the little Terror made a sound of discomfort. When they had finished Hiccup had stepped in to clean and bandage the leftover nubs where the wings had been.

He had picked up the small dragon carefully and cradled her to his chest. He took the pillow he had designated as hers and set it in front of the fire when they had arrived at the house, ever so gently lowering her onto it. She gave a small noise and shifted her head.

Hiccup sat beside her, a miserable look on his face.

Toothless sniffed and approached slowly, his steps measured and cautious. He crooned to his rider and nudged his side, eyes wide and caring. His eyes narrowed upon seeing the Terrible Terror upon the pillow and he backed up a few steps. Sniffing cautiously and approaching again he observed the dragon. He hissed quietly having picked up on the intense smell of blood coming from the creature. It was then he noticed this Terror was different in that it had no wings upon its back. He turned to his rider and crooned again, this time in curiosity.

Hiccup sniffled, eyes glassy with tears that wouldn't fall, "They're gone bud... she won't fly anymore..."

The Night Fury cooed and nuzzled the distraught teen, evidently feeling his sadness.

A sad smile worked onto the dragon rider's face as he accepted the comfort, "Thanks bud..."

A couple of weeks passed and during that time there formed an unspoken agreement between both father and son that they were going to keep the little dragon around. Hiccup watched as Toothless slowly but surely grew used to having the Terror in the house. A few times he had even spotted his dragon giving the unconscious dragon a very slight nudge as if he were curious as to why it wasn't awake yet. He felt so proud of Toothless for trying. It couldn't have made him happier to see the possibility of change. All three waited anxiously for her to awake, only Hiccup managing to be the voice of reason and telling them all that is was merely a healing process.

One day Hiccup was sitting by the little dragon, gently stroking her scales and speaking to her in a low voice. Toothless slumbered nearby having taken up the habit of remaining near to the healing Terror instead of avoiding her. Hiccup spoke to her in hopes that she would finally awaken, he was getting worried for her. "I know life will be hard to get used to without your wings," he told her, "but I'll help you learn to adjust. Just like how I helped Toothless adjust to the new tailfin I made him... You might not be one of the flying Terrors but you'll be the best one because you'll get by without them. You're definitely one of a kind. I've got a lot of hope for your future..." He paused in his rambling and smiled slightly, "Hey... let's make that your name little girl... I'll name you Hope."

The newly names dragon seemed to stir then, perhaps reacting to her name. And then for the first time since she had arrived, the little runt of a Terror opened her eyes to reveal crystal blue orbs.

Hiccup let out a small gasp at seeing the color of her eyes, it was a very rare color - he couldn't recall ever seeing as such. "Well," he breathed, "you're just full of surprises aren't you girl?"

Hope wearily raised her head to peer around, her body language suggesting nervousness.

"It's okay," Hiccup called softly, "they won't hurt you anymore. You're safe here, I promise."

The little Terror seemed to accept the answer and noticeably relaxed herself only to tense once more. Her head turned to peer at her back, confusion taking her small features.

Hiccup bit his lip, "I'm so sorry... I couldn't save them..." The guilt returned fully as the small dragon slumped some, the force of what had happened hitting her full on. He regretted having had to do as such but if it meant saving her life he would've done it all over the same way.

Then to his surprise she peered up at him and gave a small purr, nuzzling his hand which was nearby.

He smiled sadly at her, "You're welcome I suppose... I'm just sorry I couldn't do more for you to save your wings."

Hope merely purred again and offered a small lick to his hand. She managed to get to her feet, only swaying a bit.

Toothless lifted his head and watched silently.

Hiccup looked on in slight amazement as the still injured Terror stumbled her way over to the larger dragon and curled up around on of his paws. It amazed him even more when Toothless merely sniffed the little dragon and then laid his head down beside her, his wing folding over her small form protectively. He beamed, it very well might be tolerance of this one Terror that had come into the family but it was tolerance none the less. He pulled out a sketchbook and drew the scene with care, wanting to the remember the moment.

He supposed he had been right. All he had needed was a little Hope.

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**Short and sweet oneshot, hope you enjoyed. It started out as a story I wanted to write about Toothless not enjoying Terrors and I wanted something to happen that he learned to tolerate them. There you have this! Hope you enjoyed!**

**R&R if you wish. This is my first attempt at HTTYD.**


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